Get on board with HSR

The relationship between the Hamilton Street Railway and McMaster is a complicated one.  Over the past year and a half, the HSR has made headlines for changes to the bus pass system, fares and unfair confiscation of passes.

The first of the changes came about when the McMaster Registrar stopped issuing stickers that gave students bus access when  placed on student cards, forcing the HSR to think of a new solution to for the student bus pass. They put a two-card system in place where the last three digits of student identification numbers are written onto a bus pass cards separate from the student card.

Since then, several issues have arisen with this system. The replacement fee for lost bus passes was initially hiked up to $100 for a first replacement and $150 for a second, a hefty fee for a card whose original price is $138.65 per student. Dissent and discussions led to a drop in the replacement cost to $25, putting that issue to rest.

However August brought up the issue of the wrongful confiscation of cards that bus drivers interpreted as wilfully altered. Students have also complained about the need to carry two cards as opposed to one. With student dissent at a high and the negotiations between the MSU and the HSR on the horizon, it is a critical time for the relationship between McMaster and the HSR.

Not a new issue

Kathleen Quinn, SRA Social Science 2016-17 and a leader of the petition with the Student Mobilization Syndicate against the HSR price hikes says that these issues are not new.

“I first came to McMaster in 2006, and it is unfortunate that the same characterization of students as fraudsters, as scammers, is still lingering... I feel like we should have moved on from this problem by now and come up with a solution,” said Quinn. When looking for information about the price hikes, Quinn said she was unable to find minutes from the meetings in which the price was settled. She hopes that future conversations with the HSR will be more transparent, allowing the MSU to refer to minutes in future negotiations.

Herein lies the dichotomy between students and the HSR. When asked about the relationship between students and bus drivers, Nancy Purser, manager of Transit Support Services, claimed that for the most part, it is very good. Quinn, on the other hand, believes there is a communication gap between both groups.

“I was very shocked that they would [increase the replacement fee] because you think that they would understand the financial burden that we are under… [yet] in a CBC article, Ms. Purser did not believe this would be an issue. I think this shows that the city is out of touch with students and may allude to why we haven’t been able to move forward in so many years with the city in fostering a more positive relationship.”

Quinn also expressed frustration at the labelling of the student body as “scammers” and “fraudsters,” a concern echoed around campus this past August with the confiscation of bus passes on the grounds that they were “wilfully altered”.

Ryan MacDonald, VP (Finance) of the MSU, was told that the HSR enforcement program was meant to affect all riders, yet has reason to believe that the two groups most targeted were McMaster and Mohawk students. Since then, the issue has been brought forth to the HSR, and MacDonald says that this discussion changed the tone of the conversation between the two groups.

“We were happy with the way the situation was rectified in terms of us speaking to them and telling them that this is not an appropriate way to deal with that and having a good discussion about what wilfully altered actually means,” he explained. “Obviously there may always be concerns, there are many drivers that work for the city, but we were pleased with the change in tune after we spoke to them.”

Any confiscated cards that had been simply worn out will be replaced free of charge and cards thought to be wilfully altered can be appealed. The new cards for the 2016-17 year should be longer lasting, according to MacDonald who says that the quality of the security stripe on the card has been significantly improved. “Ultimately, the problems really only started happening in August of a 12-month pass, so 11 months is not awful. It’s not great, but we hope the new cards will be better in regards to the wear and tear thing,” said MacDonald.

Let’s try again

The contract between the HSR and McMaster is renegotiated every three years, with the 2016-17 year marking the end of the most recent three-year cycle. Negotiations usually start near the end of the summer and conclude around October or November. This year, discussions will only start in January due to the vacancy created within the HSR when director Dave Dixon stepped down. Until the new director begins working in the next few weeks, the MSU is stalled in negotiations.

Going into the negotiations, MacDonald says that the MSU’s goal is to get the best value for students. “We think it is incredibly important that students are able to travel throughout the city. The city has to understand that the value that students contribute is unbelievably more than the amount that they pay. If every student is confined to the Westdale bubble and it is not economically viable for them to be able to pay for a pass for the year, then you are in a situation in which the city suffers as well.” MacDonald further added that striking a low-cost deal with the HSR is his primary goal.

The pressing issue of Presto

When it comes to the current two card solution, MacDonald and Purser agree that it is not a permanent solution. “[It] is a temporary solution to a temporary problem,” said MacDonald. Instead, the future may lie in Presto. Yet MacDonald is cautious that in order for the Presto system to work, it must be set up right.

“There are other instances [such as at Mohawk] where a lot of money was spent to create a Presto card system and Metrolinx changed their technology,” he explained. In the end a lot of money was spent on a card that did not work. “It is also a unique situation because you are working with a three-party system because Metrolinx has to be involved in the conversation as well.”

While still a rough concept at this point, Purser was able to give some details about the nature of the card. Still a two-card system, the Presto card would be separate from student cards but would contain student pictures. The card will have unlimited usage and could be renewed after expiry at the end of the year. As long as it is a part of the negotiations between the MSU and HSR in January, the bus card will remain a 12-month card. While no concrete dates could be given, Purser hopes that the Presto will be in use during the 2017-18 school year.

A happier Hamilton

While the Presto system will be an improvement, it is certainly not the end goal for Purser. Ultimately, the goal is to have one card that stands as a student card and gives students HSR access, although this will be a long-term plan. For the time being, as long as the conversation between the MSU and the HSR keeps flowing, students are likely to win out in the long run. With negotiations ahead and both parties looking forward to positive changes, it is time for the HSR and the MSU to find a system that benefits students, the HSR and the city of Hamilton.